Local residents in Monrovia have been placed under curfew due to Ebola. Pic: Getty.Source:Getty Images

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has announced a night-time curfew and the quarantine of two neighbourhoods, including one in the capital Monrovia, in a bid to stem the deadly Ebola outbreak.

“Commencing Wednesday, August 20 there will be a curfew from 9:00pm to 6:00am” he said in a radio address.

The deadly virus has killed 1229 people mostly from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

A UN co-ordinator is heading to Washington and West Africa to determine the best way to fight the disease.

— With AFP

9:28

Griffin

Does Grumpy Cat have some competition?

A new cat is capturing hearts on the internet by the name of Griffin von Porkchop with a trademark snaggle-tooth.

You be the judge.

Griffin

Grumpy Cat. Pic: Getty.Source:Getty Images

9:11

Police have been criticised for their heavy handed presence in Ferguson. Pic: AFP.Source:AFP

A photographer and two journalists are among those arrested in Ferguson overnight, taking the total number of journalists detained during the Missouri riots to 10.

Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol said it was not immediately clear who was a reporter and who was not in the chaotic city.

“If I see somebody with a $50,000 camera on their shoulder, I’m pretty sure. But some journalists are walking around, and all you have is a cellphone because you’re from a small media outlet. Some of you may just have a camera around your neck.”

The arrests and detainments have been widely criticised, with President Obama saying last week that journalists should not be arrested for doing their jobs.

Reporters for CNN, Al Jazeera America and other outlets say they have been harassed or physically threatened.

Residents have taken action against tourists in skimpy clothing on one Spanish island. Pic. AFP.Source:AFP

It’s renowned as a holiday hotspot by tourists desperate for sunshine, but one Spanish island is now putting a ban on bikinis away from the beach.

Residents in Majorca have pushed for a “good citizen plan” on the island as part of a move towards making it more of an up-market destination, the BBC reports.

Along with more high-end hotels, the plan includes $70 fines for those wearing bikinis away from the beach or riding bikes on the pavement, as well as a $280 fine for buying things from street sellers.

Pictured Australian Defence Force cadets at Government house.Source:News Corp Australia

A male cadet from the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) has been arrested by ACT police investigating two sexual assaults, AAP reports.

He was arrested after two female cadets made allegations to ADFA staff on Monday, which were referred to ACT police.

The alleged offences occurred in June 2013 and February 2014.

“Defence is providing all appropriate support to the individuals concerned,” it said in a statement on Wednesday

— With AAP

7:40

The good life. New research shows public servants live longer than other workers.Source:Supplied

Public servants live longer than other workers, new research shows.

Financial services giant Mercer found that on average, male workers in Australia’s public sector live to 88 — four years longer than the general male population.

Female public servants also live four years longer to 91.

The research could have impacts for superannuation and government policy.

“Living well beyond the average changes the goalposts for retirement planning, it obviously means you need to save more, maybe work for longer, and think more about healthcare and aged care,” Mercer partner Mr Richard Boyfield said.

— With AAP

7:17

One runway was closed at Frankfurt Airport yesterday after an unexploded bomb was discovered.Source:News Limited

Frankfurt airport has been forced to close one runway after a 500 kilogram bomb from World War II was discovered near the site.

The bomb was found on a stretch of highway outside Frankfurt. Police detonated it in a controlled explosion after discovering it wasn’t possible to diffuse, AP reports.

Several flights were delayed with one runway closed for landing while the operation took place.

Unexploded bombs are still found often in Germany after allied forces dropped bombs on the area during World War II.

— With AP

6:57

A bakery chain in the UK has turned a potential disaster into social media gold.

Greggs the Bakers fell victim to a spoof logo which appeared when customers googled the company, with the tagline “providing s*** to scum for over 70 years”.

Thousands of users were quick to point out the mistake, which appeared due to a glitch in Google’s algorithms.

The company then publicly bribed Google’s UK team with baked treats until the problem was fixed.

Ocean creatures have been the inspiration for a new material that can change colour. Pic: AFP.Source:AFP

Imagine a home covered in wallpaper that could change colours. Or a suit to camoflague you in different environments.

That could be the reality with a new material which can automatically match patterns inspired by the humble octopus.

Biologists and engineers have taken inspiration from cephalopods — the name for ocean creatures like octopuses, squid and cuttlefish — which have skin sensors that enable them to adapt to their surroundings, to create a material that acts in a similar way.

“If you illuminate it with white light and different patterns, it will automatically respond to that and produce a pattern that matches,” lead author John Rogers, a professor in the department of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois, told the AFP.

Research has been funded by the US Navy but the material is not yet ready for commercial use.

6:40

The case of baby Gammy has led to changes to surrogacy laws in Thailand. Pic: Getty.Source:Getty Images

An Australian couple is stuck in Thailand with newborn twins as new surrogacy laws prevent them from leaving the country, AAP reports.

Adam and Kate Osborne, from Kempsey, NSW, have been caught up in changes to the Thai legal system that make surrogacy illegal.

Their twins, named Mali and Sierra-Leone were born to a surrogate mother in late July but the couple reportedly need a court order to bring them home which could take six months and cost $50,000.